The gym can be a positive environment, although not knowing where to start can lead to negative emotions. The gym is supposed to be a place where people can work out and not feel intimidated. While that can be difficult with many machines and equipment, let’s talk about how to ease those unsettling feelings:
No one is looking at you:
First things first- no one is worried about what someone else is doing because they are too concerned about themselves. People are focused on catching their breath after a sprint, choosing which weight they want for a certain exercise, and looking for where the water fountain is. They did not see you fall off the treadmill or drop a heavy weight, and they are not judging your form. This can be a concept people struggle with since the gym can be crowded and it may look like people are looking at you, but they are not.
Plan and Set Goals:
When waking up in the morning, think about what you want to do at the fitness center today. Would you like to do a full-body lifting session for 30 minutes or walk on the treadmill for an hour? Whatever that may be, think about it but then stick with it. Going to the rec with a plan makes the time there better since you know where to go in the gym and what section you will want to stay in. Being in the fitness studio with a plan and then changing it mid-workout is not always ideal as one may get confused about what the goal of the day at the gym was.
You could even go further into planning and think about if you want to do an arm workout with dumbbell weights and what exercises are you wanting to do with how much weight. Being prepared will bring excitement to the workout and make time fly by faster.
Go with a friend:
Tell a friend that you are interested in the gym and go with them. Do the same workout or exercises to hold yourself accountable or go to different sections of the facility and even just knowing that you have a friend in the same building will calm the nerves. Swapping exercises and even choosing each other’s workouts will give a fun twist to the workout too. Figuring out how to use the machines properly would be beneficial and something you will not forget so next time you know how to use devices on the first try.
Take a class:
Most colleges have nice workout facilities filled with treadmills and weight stations but there is so much more that they offer as well. Try looking into your recs website and see if classes are offered. Although they might not always be free, splurging on a workout class would be guilt-free. Cycle, HIIT, and yoga are popular classes that are fun and challenging. Exercising in a group may ease comfort knowing that everyone in your surroundings is doing the same thing as you.
Use Google and others:
You may think that you want to run on the treadmill or do some leg exercises but do not know what to do next. Grabbing some moderately heavy weights and googling something simple such as “leg workout with dumbbells” will take you a long way. You could even write the exercises that Google says and write them in your notes app, so you know for next time. There are even pictures that come up so if you do not know how to do something, Google shows you how.
No matter what workout you do at the gym, the goal of leaving the gym is to feel accomplished. If someone walked on the treadmill for 20 minutes and left, that is awesome. If another person ran five miles around the track and did a full body weight workout for two hours that would also be great. Everyone is on their own path when it comes to the gym, and it is important to focus on yourself and do what you want to do to ensure you have the best experience at a place that will not seem so apprehensive after the first time going.